1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of golf bag umbrellas and, more particularly, to a golf bag umbrella which can be attached to the top of a golf bag without requiring modification of the golf bag.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In playing golf, it is important to protect the clubs in a golf bag from getting wet during periods of rain. Should the clubs become wet, the club grips may become slippery, thereby severely detracting from the player's game. Additionally, with older "woods", it is important to keep the club head as dry as possible to prevent damage to the club head.
In order to meet the needs of golf players in keeping their clubs dry, numerous golf bag umbrellas have been developed. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,570 to Conner which discloses a golf bag umbrella having a shaft extending through a loop mounted on a divider wall of the golf bag. The shaft of the umbrella extends into the golf bag, with the bottom of the umbrella shaft resting on the floor of the golf bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,211 to Hendershot discloses a golf bag umbrella which is mounted to the exterior of a golf bag by spring clips or clamps longitudinally spaced along the golf bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,300 to Hamblet discloses a golf bag umbrella which is carried in a tube attached to the golf bag.
Generally speaking, the prior art golf bag umbrellas have several disadvantages. For example, many of the prior golf bag umbrellas are only usable with golf bags that have been modified in some way, such as the addition of special clamps, loops or tubes placed on the golf bag. Thus, a golf bag umbrella designed for one type of golf bag may not be usable with another type of golf bag. Additionally, none of the known prior art golf bag umbrellas can provide effective protection when used on both riding carts and pull carts. Further, many of these golf bag umbrellas extend into the interior of the golf bag taking up room that could be used for clubs and also making it difficult to select a club from the bag when the umbrella is in place. Some of these umbrellas are configured such that the shaft extends into, and is vertically held in, a club holding tube in the golf bag. However, most less expensive golf bags do not have such tube structures. Additionally, these prior art golf bag umbrellas are typically long and unwieldy making transport and storage difficult. Further, since many of the umbrellas have to be clamped into specially designed clamps or tubes on the golf bag, the umbrellas are not universally adaptable to different golf bags or to use on both pull carts and golf riding carts. Thus, should a player change golf bags or play with a pull cart, the golf bag umbrellas of the prior art are typically useless.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a compact, easy to transport and store golf bag umbrella. It is further an object of the invention to provide a golf bag umbrella for which no modification of the golf bag is necessary to mount the umbrella to the golf bag. It is also an object of the invention to provide a golf bag umbrella that does not extend into the interior of the bag and therefore does not decrease the space available for clubs or interfere with club selection. It is additionally an object of the invention to provide a golf bag umbrella which may be quickly and easily adapted for use on a pull cart.